Hi Friends! Thanks for stopping by today! I’m so glad to be participating in the #4daysoforganizing blog hop with some of my favorite blogging friends (listed below). If you’re visiting from Whitney J Decor, welcome! You may recall how I shared a my entry and coat closet organization last year, well this year I focused on organizing my shared boys’ bedroom. After the Christmas toy explosion, I realized something desperately needed to be done, and to be honest, their room has been neglected for some time now.
My Thoughts on Organization
Before I dive in, I wanted to share a few words of wisdom that crossed my mind as I thought about writing this post:
I feel like organization is a lifestyle, not a quick fix, so it’s important that you make a commitment to it. In this post, I am sharing real life organization methods where functionality is a priority. Far too often I find myself returning to organization projects that I had done just six months prior, wondering where I went wrong. This time I am committed to making this organization stick.
Organizing a home that has many members in it can be difficult, so you have to get your family on board with you. If it’s a space for kids, it’s important that they know how fortunate they are to have rooms of their own and to teach them to have pride of ownership.
Let kids make “some” decisions in how their rooms are organized. Like when planning this organization project, I asked Kyle where mommy should hang the wire baskets for his books. And if children object to anything, listen to their reasoning so they feel they have a say and are involved in the process. If they feel that they are involved, they are more likely to work to keep their rooms organized.
WIth this project, I began with clothing. This is one of our biggest issues, because the dresser is shared between a 2 and an 8 year old and they have a tiny closet.
Clothing: Sort ’em and Store ’em
I first went through the boys’ drawers and closet, and purged items that no longer fit. I then stored away items that they do not yet fit.
We have a spare room in our basement that is basically used for storage, so I hang rails on one wall, and we use the room partially as a closet. Another great way to store excess clothing is to use the vacuum seal bags, they are amazing for space saving!
 |
| Getting the kids involved in changing out hangers |
Drawers: KonMari Method Folding
Their dresser allows them each two drawers: One for underwear, socks and pjs, the other for t-shirts and sweatpants.
I decided to try out the KonMari method of folding and was impressed by the amount of space I was able to gain. *But, this is the area that I think will require the most commitment. Laundry is done daily in our home, so keeping up with the folding could be a potential problem. Check out how to fold the KonMari way:
Closet:
In the closet, I decided to only hang, pants, jeans, button down shirts, coats and hoodies. Cayden’s clothes are on the right and Kyle’s on the left. Keeping the same color hanger makes it look organized and cohesive.
Each child gets a small bin for summer clothes, which are stored on the top shelf of the closet.
Hats and Bags:
My eight year old has a little hat collection, so his hats are hung on the inside of the door using cup hooks. Underneath, I have two larger hooks, for hanging his book bags.
Toys:
The bottom of the closet is prime real estate for larger toys and fabric toy bins, and allow accessibility for our two year old. I like to use fabric bins because they are flexible and can fit a bit more toys as opposed to toys spilling over in a more rigid bin.
Shoes:
The middle of the closet allowed for space to add two shelves, one for shoes and the second for smaller toy bins.
Underbed Storage:
I feel like under the bed storage is often underestimated. Living in a small home forces us to make use of underbed storage in all of our bedrooms.
Toy Rotation
In the boys’ room, I used underbed storage bins that I scored on clearance at Target over the weekend for about $7 each. They come with lids, but because the boys’ bed is low to the ground, they just fit without them. The fact that they are in a tight spot—it kind of helps with the idea of a toy rotation.
The idea of a toy rotation is that you limit the amount of access, or the amount of toys the children are allowed to play with over a period of time, which allows for easier clean up and eliminates toy boredom. Some toys are put away out of reach and then reintroduced to the children after a month or so,while the other toys are then put away. I love the look on Kyle’s face when his toys are rotated-it’s like Christmas all over again!
Books:
Book storage is handled in a few ways in this room: The majority of the boys’ books are stored in this cabinet on the side of their dresser.
 |
| Organized desk area |
Ialso make use of magazine holders to store paperback books, coloring books and Cayden’s school papers. For additional storage, I grabbed a few of these metal baskets . . .
and screwed them to the sides of this diy desk. This allows for storage of notebooks, my son’s Nintendo DS and video games.
Shelving, Shelving, Shelving!
I can’t stress enough, how vital utilizing vertical space is for organization in small homes. I was able to create a desk area using shelf brackets and a diy desk. I also installed a shelf above the desk for additional storage.
I hope you were able to take away some ideas to get your kids rooms organized. It is a struggle for sure, but if you’re able to come up with a good plan to stick to, it can happen!
Check back next week as I’ll be sharing some details on that little diy desk, that has been a life saver for my 8 year old.
Be sure to check visit Ashley and Andrea tomorrow to get some closet organization inspiration. And check out the other lovely ladies as the week progresses.
TUESDAY
Organizing a Shared Boys’ Room
******************************
Organizing a Craft Room
******************************
WEDNESDAY
Organizing a Little Girl’s Montessori Closet
******************************
Organizing a Linen Closet
******************************
THURSDAY
Organizing the Laundry Room
******************************
Organizing the Office
******************************
FRIDAY
Organizing a Pantry
******************************
Organizing a Pantry/Kitchen Cabinets
Sharing with:
This is so great! I have a 10 & 6 year old sharing a room and have been struggling with the EXACT issues you have been struggling with. I would love to know some details about the bed, rug, and chair you used. Also… how do you store their shoes? We have SO many between the two boys – "play shoes," school shoes, semi-dressy shoes, formal shoes, soccer cleats, flip flops, slippers, and more. I never expected to need so much storage for these two rascals!
Hi Sarah! I'm glad I'm not alone, the struggle is REAL! The bed is from Ikea, it's the TUFFING-its super affordable. The rug is from Target http://goto.target.com/c/298065/201333/2092?prodsku=21407691&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fkenya-fleece-area-rug-cream-7-x10-threshold-153%2F-%2FA-21407691 (affiliate link). The chair is from Wayfair http://rstyle.me/~ahos0 (affiliate link). Then some of their shoes are stored in our front closet and some are stored on the shelves in their closet, and the rest are stored under their bed at the end–but generally, they don't have a whole bunch of shoes. Another good option is the Ikea shoe cabinet, we have one in our entry and I think it's great for kid’s shoes. I hope this is helpful! And thanks so much for stopping by!
This folding method intrigues me. I've been doing it wrong all along. If you need me, I'll be folding t-shirts tonight!
haha! Hope you had fun Andrea! I only like folding laundry when its fresh out the dryer, otherwise I'm looking to my kids to do it! The joy of having teenagers!
I absolutely love all of the storage ideas in your boys room Carli! I've adopted the Kon Mari method and it has been very helpful. I can't wait to hear the deets about the desk! I love it!
Thanks Erin! I was truly amazed by how much space it provides–hopefully I can keep it up! The desk was a super simple DIY, I'll be sharing next week 🙂
Wow I love love loveeeee what you shared!! My boys will be sharing a room soon so I will definitely be revisiting this when that happens. You did such a wonderful job.
You are so right about organization being a commitment! How many times have I organized a space only to have it unorganized again in a few months? Many times. But if we can commit for the long haul…we can succeed. I love how this space is super-organized and has all the essentials that the boys need. Great job Carli!
Wow, Carli, this post was packed with info! I agree that organization is a lifestyle and I have a really hard time keeping up for the most part, especially with clothes, ugh!!
Carli, what great ideas, definitely pining. With our move the kids room are in total chaos and I think I can definitely use some of these ideas! Thank you for sharing at the Creative Circle link party!
Great organization tips Carli! With just moving the kids room are still pretty much in chaos, and I definitely could use some of these ideas. Thanks for sharing at the The Creative Circle link party!